The Great Mistake

Why did the Creator design such a vulnerable knee?

Some call it "God's mistake." No, I'm not referring to the ostrich or the mosquito. Nor even to politicians.

It's the knee.

"It is, without question, ill-suited for the jobs we ask it to do," says James M. Fox, M.D., director of the Center for the Disorders of the Knee in Van Nuys, California, and author of the book Save Your Knees. "It wasn't designed for football, soccer, automobile accidents, being a carpenter or plumber, or squatting and kneeling all day long. It was well designed originally, but there was no way to anticipate all the things we would end up asking it to do."

With all due respect to Dr. Fox, the Creator does not make mistakes, nor could He have failed to anticipate every possible form of activity when He designed the human being. Nevertheless, the preponderance of knee-related maladies forces us to wonder why, in designing the human knee, the Almighty chose to do it this way.

The Hebrew word for "knee" is berech. Curiously, it is spelled exactly the same as the word for "blessed" – baruch. The nature of biblical Hebrew is such that seemingly unrelated words often share a common grammatical root, alerting us that they are not as dissimilar as they might seem. To understand the common thread between berech and baruch, we must first investigate the essence of blessing.

Wellsprings of Prosperity

Possibly the most instructive example of Divine blessing appears in the Second Book of Kings, Chapter 4, where a poor widow beseeches the prophet Elisha to save her sons from being sold as slaves in payment of her debts.

"What do you have in the house?" asks the prophet.

"I have nothing but a small vial of oil," the widow replies.

Elisha instructs her to go to her neighbors and borrow all the pots, jugs, and buckets she can find. He then tells her to take her tiny container of oil and start to pour. The widow follows his instructions and, miraculously, enough oil pours forth from the vial to fill all the borrowed vessels. She takes the oil to the marketplace, sells it off to pay her debts, and lives out the rest of her life comfortably.

Why does the prophet's rescue of this widow require such a complicated process? Why couldn't Elisha have told her to simply go home and find a bag of gold on her dining room table or buried in her back yard?

From this incident we learn that the nature of blessing is increase. The Almighty does not bless us by giving us what we lack; He blesses us by expanding and increasing that which we already possess.

In Jewish prayers, the phrase that appears more than any other is, "Blessed are You, Lord, our God ..." By declaring that the Almighty is blessed, we affirm that God is the wellspring of all blessing. It is He Who created us and everything that is ours, and it is He Who increases or decreases that which we already have. With respect to wealth, wisdom, strength, and talent, we acknowledge our Creator as the source of all, recognizing that everything is given on credit in anticipation of our good deeds and subject to immediate forfeiture if we fail to use it responsibly.

Therefore, whenever we take pleasure in the material world, we articulate a blessing to God as an expression of gratitude, expressing as well our hope that we will continue to merit more of the same.

The Gift of Vulnerability

Nothing in the human condition symbolizes this aspect of our relationship with the Almighty more strikingly than the knee.

Human beings are naturally predisposed to believe that we are self-sufficient -- dependent on nothing other than ourselves and our own resources. We easily overlook or disregard our physical limitations, imagining that we are masters of our own fate and soldiers of our own fortune.

When we indulge in this kind of supreme arrogance, we isolate ourselves from human society, cutting ourselves off from other people and distancing ourselves from our Creator.

The counter-evolutionary design of the knee, by which the entire body rests upon so delicate a mechanism, provides a sobering counterweight to the hubris of the human ego. The human knee is ideally designed for one thing: to walk straight ahead, on even ground, at a moderate pace. But as soon as we speed up, slow down, turn, carry, or climb, we cause increased strain, placing ourselves at risk for injury and incapacity.

Similarly, in our pursuit of wealth, power and recognition, we dare not forget that a false step, a hasty turn, or an ill-conceived leap of overconfidence can deal a crippling blow in an instant. By relying solely upon our own resources, we place ourselves in danger of forfeiting all the blessings that have been given us.

However, when we recognize our own limitations, when we accept our dependency, acknowledge our vulnerability, and relax our reflexive egoism, then we come to appreciate that God's blessings carry with them responsibility, and that we must earn them over and over again. Healthy relationships cannot exist without vulnerability. Only when we recognize that we are not self-sufficient can we accept that we need God's involvement in our lives.

This universal truth applies equally to other people and to the Master of Creation. Only when we lower our psychological defenses and make ourselves vulnerable to others can we let them into our lives, loving them and allowing them to love us. And only by allowing others into our lives can we begin to develop the intimacy with the Divine that yields unimaginable strength, unsurpassed joy, and boundless blessing.

Visitor Comments: 13

(13)
Anonymous,
December 8, 2009 6:01 PM

Thank you

I started having knee problems recently out of nowhere. And after some prayers with Hashem I came to theorize that maybe Hashem gave me this pain so that I can be more mindful of him throughout the day (pain whenever you walk can be quite a constant reminder). This article has really confirmed my thoughts and taken them a step further. Hashem doesn't just want me to be mindful of him throughout the day, but he wants me to be mindful of his abundant blessings- like this amazingly complex, wonderful working body. My knee seems to be getting better and I hope that Hashem willing, once the pain goes away, I can keep in mind the amazing blessing it is just to have a well functioning body. Thank you for completing the message!

(12)
ata,
June 22, 2009 5:54 AM

very smart. i may also add that sometimes we don't know the reasons for all the things that the Creator does.

(11)
Anonymous,
June 17, 2009 5:41 PM

to understand

for me to fully understand and grasp what you are trying to say i need to know just how delicate a knee is, i dont see a reference (hyperlink?) to an explanation of knees and how to take proper care of them - the length of which would bring me to a better understanding of what you were saying.
as far as i could tell from the article, the knee was designed with deliberate flaws which means that it will "only" last the average person the duration of their lives without any effort on the part of the user to maintain their good working condition. the article then goes on to say that the reason for these "flaws" is to point out human faults - which i accept as a reasonable deduction. given that i am 100% satisfied with my knees, i still dont fully appreciate the article

(10)
Brian H,
June 15, 2009 4:50 PM

Posture and personality

Many years ago I qualified as a Certified Graphoanalyst, and fairly soon observed that there is a tight correlation between a couple of aspects of social and emotional expressiveness and posture.
Persons who react quickly and overtly to others and events walk (or sit) with head cocked forward, at 20-45 degrees. This is regardless of spine angle. Those who are formal, controlled and "dignified" in their dealings with others, avoiding criticism by being as unfailingly correct as possible, walk and sit with no bend or curve in the spine. Those who bend at the waist are forceful and possibly aggressive in advancing their viewpoints.
All of the above have been tested in all six ways, predicting posture from writing, writing from posture, and behaviour from either, or either from behaviour.
So, advising people to modify posture for health or comfort reasons is mostly, in my opinion, futile. As person walks and stands the way they approach the world. Unless you change that, the posture won't "improve".

(9)
Anne,
June 15, 2009 4:17 PM

The Unforgiving Knee

It is ironic that after a 10 year hiatus, a non-forgiving sister-in-law, who chose not to speak with me, invites me to her wedding whereby I sustain a knee injury. I boarded a shuttle bus with no accessory step, and so the rise from the sidewalk to the first step put a great strain on my knee, tearing my miniscus and requiring surgery. I am proceeding with a personal injury lawsuit, which just gives my sister-in-law more ammunition to cause more friction in my marriage. The hypocrisy is that 30 years ago, my mother-in-law had a substantial lawsuit filed against my beloved aunt and was awarded 100,000.00 whereby no personal feelings of resentment were bestowed upon anyone. Should animosity be the way of life within a family unit? I choose peace. May I also allude to the fact that I come from an interfaith marriage. My Jewish background calls for peace, and commands on a daily basis through our prayers "the bringing peace between man and his fellow". May Hashem continue to bless me and realize the limitations that my in-laws have against me as being outright foolish and toxic!
While the knee may be a vulnerable body part, it is an integral part of the human body, which succumbs to bending is a sign of humility and submission. Baruch Hashem and all of his creation! May Judaism continue to teach us that we take absolutely nothing for granted.

(8)
leah,
June 15, 2009 10:06 AM

so appropriate for me now

Just these past few days I've been experiencing knee discomfort. It is slowly going away B"H and this message was such a wake up call for me- just let go and realize that Ha-shem is running my life and I am vulnerable to however He orchestrates all that happens..thanks for this inspiration I feel it was Heaven sent just for me to internalize!

(7)
Petra,
June 15, 2009 8:39 AM

Thank you

Once again, exactly what I needed to hear, exactly when I needed to hear it, and so well said. Thank you.

(6)
ruth housman,
June 15, 2009 6:27 AM

the inescapable metaphors of living

A long time ago I kept falling down. I started to notice this. I wasn't getting hurt but I was falling. So I asked why am I falling so much, because it seems a message, and the message that came to me was humility. Ruth, you have to learn humility, the loss of ego.
I still believe this was true. And I have noted in the commentaries one that has to do with the significance of the bended knee, how we go down when we are expressing humility. We say, down on our knees.
I do believe we can plumb our lives, Nature itself, for the profound metaphors that do connect to the way not only we are constructed, but the world.
For me there is a deep wisdom within the metaphor that does apply to us all, as in how the pearl is made in the oyster, through the rub. Ay, there's the rub (Shakespeare).

(5)
Rachel,
June 15, 2009 5:57 AM

What about the design of the neck?

I'm a massage therapist, and 99% of my clients ask me to address the pain and stiffness in their necks & shoulders. One does not need to be participating in extreme sports to be putting a strain in this area. The head weighs about 10 lbs and people are always leaning it forward, straining the neck muscles & the trapezius. People are also always hunching up one or both shoulders, causing a state of permanent contraction and discomfort to the levator scapula, the "I don't know" muscle.
Unfortunately, I see people in shul hunching forward to daven all the time. A simple trick is to remember that the holes of your ears belong directly above your shoulders, and your shoulders should be straight, not curved forward. If you bend to bow to Hashem, bend from the hip, not the waist, and keep your spine lined up, don't pitch your head forward.
I don't presume to know more than Hashem, but I do wonder why He designed a neck & head arrangement that most people are likely to handle incorrectly.
With regard to the knees, if most people take care not to over flex or extend or to put too much weight on them in flexion, the knees will probably work for a lifetime. Long distance running is very bad for the joints.
Also, Hashem created the cherry, which is a natural anti-inflammatory with Cox inhibitors. Eating plenty of cherries every day will help people with inflamed and painful muscles & joints.

(4)
Beverly Kurtin,
June 14, 2009 7:13 PM

Obese?

I love people who talk about an obesity pandemic. Some people begin their obesity in childhood, just as they did 50, 100, 150, 200…years ago.
There are those who would take one look at me and pronounce me “obese.” My doctor sees me as exactly the weight I should be. My bones are genetically large. If I had smaller bones, they would break.
Take a look at paintings from 200 years ago. Do we see skinny, anorexic, hollow-cheeked women? No, because most models went home and cooked for their families, they were not all rich women who were having their portraits made.
Look back, if you can, to the pictures of your grandmothers, thin? Skinny? Anorexic? Hardly. Back then a thin woman was a sick woman.
Although I won’t tell you what gravity has done to me over the years, I will admit to being on drugs that cause me to be larger than I could be, but I need the drugs more than I need to be skinny. As far as my knees are concerned, when they ache, I slip into my wheelchair and anyone who doesn’t like it, too bad. I’ve broken my back in three places, you try that and not need a wheelchair from time-to-time.
The best part of being in a wheelchair is that I get into other people’s way AND THEY APOLOGIZE! Ah, how sweet it is. However if I had my druthers, I’d walk, but since I must, who am I to argue?

(3)
Anonymous,
June 14, 2009 7:25 AM

knee-bending, a sign of submission

Bending the knee (or getting down one one's knee) is a sign of submission. When Jews bow in prayer, they first bend the knee. When a person realizes that he can only put forth his best effort but is not in control of the outcome and "bends his knee" to G-d by submitting his ego, his own will to G-d's, he will indeed be blessed.

(2)
Anonymous,
June 14, 2009 6:05 AM

the middle road

Why are knees so much more problematic than they were 50 years ago? Fifty years ago, we did not have an obesity pandemic. Also, people incorporated physical activity as a normal part of their day (physical labor for work or chores, or walking to get somewhere). "Norma" people did not participate in extreme sports, marathons, or extended workouts.

(1)
David Sommer,
June 7, 2009 3:12 PM

Revise this Message - Revitalize your Life!

This essay should be required reading - not just for the doctors, physiotherapists and their patients. Every person's soul is packaged within an incredible system known as the body. It comes with a label too: "Divinely designed and maintained." Thank you for highlighting the way to perceive Hashem from within. One can maintain this appreciation and awareness by saying the daily morning bracha thanking Hashem "Who prepares the footsteps of man." And then live this message throughout one's day.

I live in rural Montana where the Cholov Yisrael milk is difficult to obtain and very expensive. So I drink regular milk. What is your view on this?

The Aish Rabbi Replies:

Jewish law requires that there be rabbinic supervision during the milking process to ensure that the milk comes from a kosher animal. In the United States, many people rely on the Department of Agriculture's regulations and controls as sufficiently stringent to fulfill the rabbinic requirement for supervision.

Most of the major Kashrut organizations in the United States rely on this as well. You will therefore find many kosher products in America certified with a 'D' next to the kosher symbol. Such products – unless otherwise specified on the label – are not Cholov Yisrael and are assumed kosher based on the DOA's guarantee.

There are many, however, do not rely on this, and will eat only dairy products that are designated as Cholov Yisrael (literally, "Jewish milk"). This is particularly true in large Jewish communities, where Cholov Yisrael is widely available.

Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote that under limited conditions, such as an institution which consumes a lot of milk and Cholov Yisrael is generally unavailable or especially expensive, American milk is acceptable, as the government supervision is adequate to prevent non-kosher ingredients from being added.

It should be added that the above only applies to milk itself, which is marketed as pure cow's milk. All other dairy products, such as cheeses and butter, may contain non-kosher ingredients and always require kosher certification. In addition, Rabbi Feinstein's ruling applies only in the United States, where government regulations are considered reliable. In other parts of the world, including Europe, Cholov Yisrael is a requirement.

There are additional esoteric reasons for being stringent regarding Cholov Yisrael, and because of this it is generally advisable to consume only Cholov Yisroel dairy foods.

In 1889, 800 Jews arrived in Buenos Aires, marking the birth of the modern Jewish community in Argentina. These immigrants were fleeing poverty and pogroms in Russia, and moved to Argentina because of its open door policy of immigration. By 1920, more than 150,000 Jews were living in Argentina. Juan Peron's rise to power in 1946 was an ominous sign, as he was a Nazi sympathizer with fascist leanings. Peron halted Jewish immigration to Argentina, introduced mandatory Catholic religious instruction in public schools, and allowed Argentina to become a haven for fleeing Nazis. (In 1960, Israeli agents abducted Adolf Eichmann from a Buenos Aires suburb.) Today, Argentina has the largest Jewish community in Latin America with 250,000, though terror attacks have prompted many young people to emigrate. In 1992, the Israeli Embassy in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 32 people. In 1994, the Jewish community headquarters in Buenos Aires was bombed, killing 85 people. The perpetrators have never been apprehended.

Be aware of what situations and behaviors give you pleasure. When you feel excessively sad and cannot change your attitude, make a conscious effort to take some action that might alleviate your sadness.

If you anticipate feeling sad, prepare a list of things that might make you feel better. It could be talking to a specific enthusiastic individual, running, taking a walk in a quiet area, looking at pictures of family, listening to music, or reading inspiring words.

While our attitude is a major factor in sadness, lack of positive external situations and events play an important role in how we feel.

[If a criminal has been executed by hanging] his body may not remain suspended overnight ... because it is an insult to God (Deuteronomy 21:23).

Rashi explains that since man was created in the image of God, anything that disparages man is disparaging God as well.

Chilul Hashem, bringing disgrace to the Divine Name, is one of the greatest sins in the Torah. The opposite of chilul Hashem is kiddush Hashem, sanctifying the Divine Name. While this topic has several dimensions to it, there is a living kiddush Hashem which occurs when a Jew behaves in a manner that merits the respect and admiration of other people, who thereby respect the Torah of Israel.

What is chilul Hashem? One Talmudic author stated, "It is when I buy meat from the butcher and delay paying him" (Yoma 86a). To cause someone to say that a Torah scholar is anything less than scrupulous in meeting his obligations is to cause people to lose respect for the Torah.

Suppose someone offers us a business deal of questionable legality. Is the personal gain worth the possible dishonor that we bring not only upon ourselves, but on our nation? If our personal reputation is ours to handle in whatever way we please, shouldn't we handle the reputation of our nation and the God we represent with maximum care?

Jews have given so much, even their lives, for kiddush Hashem. Can we not forego a few dollars to avoid chilul Hashem?

Today I shall...

be scrupulous in all my transactions and relationships to avoid the possibility of bringing dishonor to my God and people.

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